HonoluluAdvertiser.com | XEROX SHOOTINGS: The Trial of Byran Uyesugi

Defendant Byran Uyesugi	Defendant Byran Uyesugi, 40, a copy machine repairman, is charged in the murder of seven fellow workers at the Xerox building on Nimitz Highway on Nov. 2. He is also charged with shooting at an eighth employee who escaped. City prosecutors are seeking convictions on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder. If convicted, Uyesugi faces a mandatory life term without parole. Uyesugi's defense is that he was suffering from a mental illness that rendered him unable to tell right from wrong or to conform his conduct to the law.

Circuit Judge Marie Milks	Circuit Judge Marie N. Milks, 55, a state Circuit Court judge since 1994, presides over the trial. Marks first joined the judiciary in 1988 as a part-time judge. She was sworn in as a full-time judge to the District Family Court on Oahu in 1991 and was appointed to the Circuit Court bench three years later. Her term term runs to March 2004.

Defense attorney Jerel Fonseca	Defense attorney Jerel Fonseca, 46, heads the defense aided by his law partner, Rodney Ching. Fonseca worked briefly with the city prosecutor's office after graduating from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in 1982. Among his colleagues was city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle. He has represented high-profile defendants, including ousted Bishop Estate trustee Richard "Dickie" Wong's former wife Mari Stone Wong, who obtained a dismissal of a criminal conspiracy charge related to a Bishop Estate land deal involving a Hawaii Kai condominium building. He also represented Brian Ibaan, a Mililani elementary school art teacher who pleaded guilty to molesting young girls.

Prosecutor Peter Carlisle	Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, 47, leads the prosecution. He has served as city prosecuting attorney since 1996 and is up for reelection this year. Carlisle handled more than 20 murder trials during his decade-long tenure as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989, he left the office for the private sector, then returned after successfully winning the race for prosecutor. He has participated in such high-profile cases as those involving reputed underworld figures Ronald Ching and Henry Huihui, both of whom pleaded guilty and later became government witnesses. Carlisle argued for and obtained maximum sentences for both.

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I am incensed over Byran Uyesugi's plea of not guilty for his heinous and cowardly act resulting in the tragic and untimely death of 7 of his co-workers. The unspeakable grief he has caused the survivors will drag on in the courtroom and result in prolonging the sorrow and pain. Uyesugi should have pleaded guilty like a man, but this spineless wimp, who substitute his manhood through his fanatical obsession with firearms has opted to prolong the grief to the family and friends of the victims. Hawaii being one of the states that doesn't recognize capital punishment, I can only hope that Uyesugi meets an untimely and equally violent death at the hands of an equally deranged person while incarcerated in prison. My personal plea to Uyesugi is to stand up and be a man and plead guilty to the crimes you committed so the family and friends of the victims and the public as a whole can be spared a prolonged period of seeing your disgusting face in the media and the victim's families can begin the healing process.

Larry Honda
Aiea

Aloha,

I am originally from Hawaii but currently live in Los Angeles, California. I like to be current in all the happeninigs back home, but to see and hear news such as the Xerox shootings break my heart, especially if it is back home in Hawaii. You would never think that this could happen in such a beautiful place. However, the reality of it is, it does happen, no matter where you are.

When I heard about this shooting, i was on the phone with one of my friends from there. He told me that there was a shooting at Xerox. I started to panic because my cousin, Andy DeLeon, worked there and i was so worried. Then, my friend told me he was okay because he was being interviewed on the news. I was relieved, yet, very sad. Sad because when i think of home, i think of being in a peaceful place where nothing bad ever happens. Along with my sadness came the confusion. To my understanding, Brian Uyesugi had caused trouble at Xerox before. My question is, why did Xerox continue to employ him? The managers should have known that Uyesugi was distraught, and that he was very tempermental.

My heart goes out to the families of ones that were lost, also to Uyesugi's family. I can only imagine what these people are going through. I am sure that justice will be served in this case. I just hope that Brian Uyesugi realizes how many lives he has affected through all this.

Aloha,
Liane E. Payo

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